#23 - Specific Reference, Must Be True, Purpose/Function

[deck1134]

Hi PowerScore,

I am not sure why C is wrong. My prephrase is: "tell us about errors jurors made with information they did not get from the trial." While I see that D is true, it seems like C is true also: both th presumption of guilty and probative weight of photographs are commonly held beliefs.

[James Finch]

Hi Deck,

Questions like these in RC sections are asking what the broad role that the specific portion mentioned in the question stem (in this case paragraph 2) plays within the larger argument presented by the passage as whole. We can analogize this to the role played by different parts of a stimulus in the LR sections: is it playing the role of premises/evidence, or is it presenting claim that is supported by that evidence? Middle paragraphs are usually presenting evidence for the broader conclusion being made, and this one is no different.

At this point, we have to ask what is the broadest possible way to describe the evidence presented in the paragraph and how it relates to the conclusion? Several examples of situations where juries may make inferential errors are presented, which provides evidence to help prove the ultimate point of the passage, that juries are susceptible to making inferential errors/jumping to conclusions. So which answer choice best reflects this?

Answer choice (C) describes a single example, but this is too narrow to describe the entire paragraph, which contains multiple examples. Answer choice (D) does mention the multiple examples, and is thus the correct choice.

Hope this clears things up!